With Apple's Revolutionary SuperDrive, Power Mac G4 Is First Complete DVD Authoring Solution

MACWORLD EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Apple® today introduced iDVD(TM), a revolutionary new application that lets consumers quickly and easily create professional looking DVDs for playback on consumer DVD players and DVD Studio Pro(TM), the first full-featured DVD authoring tool available for less than $1,000. iDVD comes preinstalled on the Power Mac(TM) G4 with the revolutionary new SuperDrive, a combination CD-RW/DVD-R drive that reads and writes both CDs and DVDs. DVD Studio Pro offers professional-quality DVD encoding, authoring and writing, and is the perfect complement to Apple's Final Cut Pro® video editing, effects and compositing software.

"iDVD and DVD Studio Pro continue Apple's lead in the desktop video revolution," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Our new Power Mac G4 running iMovie(TM), Final Cut Pro, iDVD and DVD Studio Pro offers professionals and high-end consumers the only integrated solution for pro-quality DVD creation."

iDVD

iDVD makes it incredibly easy for Mac® users to turn their iMovies, QuickTime(TM) files and pictures into DVDs that can be played on consumer DVD players. iDVD shields users from the complexity of DVD authoring by offering built-in professionally designed themes and drag-and-drop simplicity. With iDVD, users can:

• convert iMovies, QuickTime files and pictures into the format required for DVD using iDVD's fast MPEG encoder;
• drag-and-drop iMovies and pictures into their DVD project;
• create menus, buttons and backgrounds using their own personal images, or choose from among more than a dozen beautiful themes with professionally designed background images and coordinated fonts and typefaces;
• preview the project to test navigation and flow; and
• record DVDs with a single click on the Power Mac G4's revolutionary new combination CD-RW/DVD-R SuperDrive.

DVD Studio Pro

The perfect complement to Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro lets users encode video, conduct complex authoring tasks, preview the finished product in real- time, and burn DVDs using the Power Mac G4's new SuperDrive.

    With DVD Studio Pro, users can:
    -- encode video in MPEG-2 and encode audio in Dolby Digital, the two
       formats preferred for professionally mastered DVDs;
    -- author the DVD, working with up to 99 video tracks and multiple
       language tracks. DVDs can also be customized to include slide shows,
       still or motion menus from layered PhotoShop files or video clips, and
       interactive links directly to the web;
    -- preview the finished project in real-time without the need for a disk
       image or multiplexing; and
    -- burn DVDs using Power Mac G4's new SuperDrive for playback on consumer
       DVD players. In addition to burning DVDs, users can also choose to
       output to DLT tape for mass duplication or DVD-RAM to inexpensively
       test projects.

Pricing & Availability

iDVD is preinstalled on the new Power Mac G4 with combination CD-RW/DVD-R SuperDrive, which writes to standard 4.7GB DVD-R discs, available from The Apple Store(TM) (www.apple.com) in packs of 5 for a suggested retail price of US$49.95. Each disc can hold an hour of high quality video, and is compatible with a wide variety of consumer and computer DVD players. For a list of compatible DVD players, visit www.apple.com/dvdr/compatibility.

DVD Studio Pro is available this month from The Apple Store (www.apple.com) or through Authorized Apple Resellers for a retail price of US$999. Minimum system requirements to run DVD Studio Pro are a Power Mac G4 with AGP graphics and DVD-R, DVD-RAM, or DVD-ROM drive (configuration must support Apple DVD Player 2.0 or later), Mac® OS 9.0.4 or 9.1, QuickTime 4.1, 128MB RAM (192MB recommended) and a 12GB hard drive.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut Pro, iDVD, Movie, Mac, Mac OS, Quicktime, and the Apple Store are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Apple Computer, Inc.